Chapter- 25

Dinner was supposed to be a peaceful event, but unfortunately, it wasn't. The siblings had their dinner in Mahir's room for obvious reasons, yet the thick tension between Arjun and Abhi still lingered in the air like unfinished business.

Arjun tried to pacify his little brother, but no matter how many times he nudged him, poked him, or tried cracking a joke, he was met with an angry glare sharp enough to slice through his patience.

Radha was done watching both her moron brothers behave like stubborn kindergarteners, so she simply banned them from Mahir's room until they sorted out their issues. The best way to force them into facing each other, she believed. And she knew they wouldn't be able to stay away from her for long, especially when she was still injured, and would eventually call a truce.

Arjun sighed for the nth time before entering Abhi's room, only to find the latter playing video game with unnecessary aggression, smashing buttons like the controller had personally offended him.

Arjun plopped down on the bean bag, lazily stretching his legs, trying to gather his thoughts about where to start from.

Truth be told, he sucked at making apologies. He could apologise to Mahir, as it was his elder brother, their was no space for hesitations. But when it came to apologising to his younger siblings, Arjun preferred his own methods: buying their favourite food, sneaking in gifts, silently fixing things for them. That was his way of making up.

Radha never had a problem with it.

But Abhi? The boy loved to make his life miserable, forcing him to say that five-letter word like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"Shit!" Abhi cursed as he lost one of the final rounds of the game.

Arjun looked at the screen carefully, observing the pattern of movements before shaking his head. His brother was playing online with his friends, one against eight. Any other day, Abhi would have excitedly asked him to join as his backup partner, but today he was angry. Arjun got it without needing words; the silence was loud enough.

"Duck under the broken wall on your left," Arjun suggested softly. "Then reload fast and take the sniper on the terrace before he locks onto you."

Abhi followed the instructions without responding. He told himself he was going to do that anyway, he had just lost focus for a second. That's all.

"Should I join?" Arjun asked, noticing the way Abhi's jaw tightened every time someone cornered him.

"Aapki marzi. (Your wish.)" Abhi muttered, disinterested.

Arjun picked up the second console. Abhi silently switched the mode from one player to two. And just like that, the brothers moved in sync. Now that they were two, they knew no one could take them down when they stood together.

Like always, Arjun shielded Abhi from the frontlines, drawing fire toward himself, while Abhi took down their opponents one by one, his aim sharp and ruthless. They didn't need to speak, years of playing together had built a rhythm between them. One covered, the other attacked. One distracted, the other finished.

The game was almost over when a camouflaged sniper appeared from behind Abhi, aiming straight at him. Before Abhi could even react, Arjun fired; a clean headshot.

The enemy dropped instantly. Silence filled the room for a second. Just like always. Arjun had his back.

Abhi looked startled. He hadn't seen that coming. Slowly, he placed the console aside. He had won. But the victory felt hollow.

He rose to his feet, ready to walk out, when Arjun caught his wrist, stopping him.

"Itna gussa hai apne bhaiyu se ki ek baar meri taraf dekhega bhi nahi? (So angry at your brother that you won't even look at me once?)" Arjun asked, standing up as well.

Abhi tried to pull away, but Arjun tightened his hold just slightly, not enough to hurt, just enough to stop him.

Abhi turned, eyes blazing. "What? Ab aapko baat karni hai? (Now you want to talk?) Don't you want to snap without any reason first?" His voice trembled, not from fear but from bottled-up hurt. "Aapki frustration samajh bhi loon toh what about the fight you and Bhaiya had? (Even if I understand your frustration, what about the fight you had with Bhaiya?) Do I even have a right to say anything in that? Or you'll yell at me just like you did at Radha?"

Arjun's jaw tightened.

"Aapki problem kya hai, Bhaiyu? (What is your problem, Bhaiyu?)" Abhi continued, words tumbling out now. "Why can't you just keep your temper in control? You choose silence when something goes wrong because you think your anger might destroy the bond you share... but then you snap at someone else for no reason, like we're safer targets for your bottled-up emotions. How does that even work?"

The room felt heavier.

Arjun listened to the complaint calmly. He knew he was the one at fault and he was trying to change his flaws, not to become perfect, but at least not to hurt someone... or better yet, not to hurt his siblings unnecessarily.

"Mene bhaiya ko kabhi kuch aisa nahi bola that will hurt him. (I have never said anything to Bhaiya that would hurt him.)" Arjun's tone softened as he cradled Abhi's face gently. "Never will I ever repeat the same mistakes of our parents, Abhi. Yeh tu bhi jaanta hai aur main bhi... kabhi kabhi zubaan se nikle sahi lafaz meethe lagte hai, lekin galat lehze mein bole gaye shabd dil ko cheer ke jaate hai. (You know that too so so I. Sometimes even the right words sound sweet, but when spoken in the wrong tone, they tear through the heart.)"

Abhi looked away. He knew that. He had seen it. His bhaiyu had suffered that, in fact, all of the siblings had suffered that, but more than them, Mahir had borne the brunt of it all, always becoming an armor for his siblings. The protectiveness of an elder brother who had to grow up before his time wasn't wrong.

Abhi wasn't even angry at Arjun. He knew if anyone in the world respected Mahir more than his own ego, anger, or pride, then it was Arjun. For him and Arjun, Mahir was more of a father than a brother; a realization that hit them at the right stage of their life and there was no undoing that truth.

In the evening when he saw his bhaiya and bhaiyu sharing the same space but with an ocean of silence between them, he didn't like that. Fights are part of every beautiful relationship, it shows that both people care enough to react instead of walking away.

However, Abhi was used to seeing fights that only held distance, cold wars, and words that left permanent scars. It was his fear that made him angry at his bhaiyu, but that was just the heat of the moment.

The moment Arjun stepped into his room to pacify him, Abhi had already given in. His bhaiyu was his best friend , the one he fought with the most and trusted the most at the same time.

"I am sorry," Arjun murmured softly, "I..."

"I am sorry," Abhi cut him off instantly. He didn't like his brother apologising when he wasn't even at fault.

Abhi reached out, placing his hand over Arjun's. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I—I just..."

"Got scared," Arjun completed for him. "I know, Abhi. And I understand. Tujhe mujhe kuch samjhane ki zarurat nahi hai. (You don't need to explain anything to me.) You yelled at me, I don't have a problem with that."

He tilted Abhi's face, making the latter meet his gaze. "Agar main kabhi galat hoon toh tu mujhe mere muh par bol sakta hai. (If I'm ever wrong, you can tell me straight to my face.) That's what brothers do, they call each other out before the world ever gets a chance to. Just remember one thing... Mene tujhe yeh pehle bhi kai baar kaha hai and I will say it again... I will never do something that can hurt my siblings, and even if I do, you have every right to tell me about it. Rather than holding back, misunderstandings are the last thing I want from my brother. Clear?"

Abhi nodded, wrapping his arms around his bhaiyu. He knew that no matter how loud their fights got, Arjun would always choose him in the end.

"Did you bring me my favourite chocolate?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood. He wasn't about to let his bhaiyu walk out without paying the emotional fine.

Arjun chuckled, pulling back slightly. "Obviously, Your Highness. Here, eat your bitter royal delicacy." He pressed the dark chocolate into Abhi's hand.

He just didn't understand how people even had that patience to enjoy something that tasted like regret wrapped in foil.

Abhi grinned shamelessly, already unwrapping it with dramatic reverence. He loved the rich, intense flavour, people might have dark chocolate for health benefits or to feel sophisticated, but for him, he ate it to feel strangely comforted, like bitterness could be sweet if you allowed it to sit long enough.

Arjun cringed as Abhi forwarded him a small bar. He tried to shake his head but opened his mouth anyway, unable to say no to his younger brother like always. Some weakness he would never outgrow!

✨✨✨

Days passed by at their usual pace. Radha was feeling better... better? Her wounds were healing, but she was still in her cast, unable to move due to the lingering fractures, muscle strain, bruised ribs, stitched gash, and the dull throbbing that returned whenever she shifted even a little.

Shreya was always around helping her, and the brothers refused to leave their sister alone, always one of them staying by her side without imposing or making it obvious that she was injured.

Radha's eyes always filled with unshed tears as she thought too much about the situation. She liked the care her brothers were showering on her, even after her countless attempts to push them away. The insomnia she faced was nowhere to be found when her brothers slept in the same room, huddled on the couch or the floor, giving her space but also being just there.

Radha was feeling emotions she had never felt before. Even when she liked it... she was also confused and scared about what she should choose. Anyone else in her place would have pounced on the opportunity given so freely, basking in the unconditional love.

But Radha felt different. Every time she thought to say yes to what Mahir had asked her a few days back, her parents' voices rang in her ears; the warnings, the words of how ungrateful she was to change herself, to forget her parents, their upbringing, their thoughts, their nature, and find ways to break boundaries set by her parents. What kind of shame was it to take the hard work they put into raising her?

Slowly, with her poisonous thoughts, Radha retreated, keeping her answers to herself. She needed more time, more clarity, more courage, more space to breathe, more silence to untangle her heart, and more moments to understand what she truly wanted. How much? She herself didn't know anymore. And the best part was that her Bhaiya was giving her just that.

Mahir didn't ask her anything, not once in the week that had passed. But still, he was behaving normally, like his usual self, as if that conversation between them mattered but also her peace of mind. And that helped Radha think over her decision. For now, that was enough.

Radha lay comfortably against the mountain of pillows behind her. Her plastered leg rested on the soft folded blanket Arjun had placed earlier, and so did her arm. Her hair was loosely tied in a bun that bounced whenever she moved.

She had been glaring at the wall clock for the past five minutes, willing time to move faster, but the hands refused to listen. It wasn't like she could do anything, but still, she hoped the week passed quickly so the doctor could remove the cast. Maybe then her mind would stop feeling caged too.

"Stop glaring at the clock like you want to eat it," Abhi muttered without looking up.

Radha looked around, searching for something, anything, she could pick up and hurl at her annoying brother. Abhi was in the room; still, the room was so silent as the boy sat on the rug surrounded by puzzle pieces he was trying to assemble... even though he didn't know what the puzzle was supposed to be.

"Can you stop being a useless log of wood and help me?" Radha groaned. "I'm bored."

Abhi finally looked up with raised eyebrows. "What do you want me to do? Dance? Sing? Crack a joke for you?"

"None of the above." Radha's face instantly brightened. "How about you read me a book? There was a novel I was reading a week ago. It was left with only the last epilogue. Can you read me that?"

Abhi rose to his feet, leaving the puzzle scattered. His Bhaiya was busy with something, and so was his Bhaiyu. That was the reason he was with Radha; none of the brothers were willing to leave her alone in case she needed something.

"Where is the book?" He asked, glancing around the room as he brushed invisible dust off his hands.

Radha shook her head. "It's in my room. You won't find it. Read me the novel from Kindle." She pointed at the small tab kept on the bedside table.

Abhi picked it up and flopped onto the beanbag lazily. He squinted. "What's the name of the novel?"

"The Tale of Filby and the Free," Radha replied, a bright smile blooming on her lips at the mention of the title.

Abhi frowned, typing the correct spelling in the search bar and opening the page. "Filby?" he asked, his tone laced with amusement.

His eyebrow jumped again as he swiped the screen. The artwork alone made the novel look whimsical, enchanting, exactly Radha's kind of story. The verbal imagery was vivid, almost alive, each sentence painting a world so softly magical that even Abhi, who didn't usually fall for such things, found his imagination quietly stirring.

"Well, what is this novel about?"

"You remember how Dobby in Harry Potter was the most loyal, adorable, sensitive yet strong creature ever?" Radha asked, excitement bubbling in her voice. "The one who would do anything for the people he loved?"

Abhi nodded. "Yes, I remember. You cried buckets for him when those wizards hurt him."

"So the author of this book..." Radha continued, ignoring the teasing remark entirely, "was apparently so moved that she wrote a completely unrelated fantasy novella about a creature inspired by that spirit of loyal magic. Filby is a Lightling... a tiny being born from lantern fire, bound by ancient magic to serve humans. But Filby... he wants freedom, love, and a purpose of his own. But he was sent to prison because he broke the ancient oath by helping a human girl escape a cursed forest instead of obeying his master."

Radha smiled faintly. "Filby's journey is honestly heartbreaking. In the prison of extinguished flames, that's what they call it, every Lightling loses a little bit of their glow every day. But Filby? He refuses to dim. He keeps remembering the girl he saved, the warmth he felt when he acted out of kindness instead of duty."

She shifted slightly against the pillow, her voice softer now. "Then he escapes the prison. Without getting caught, he simply slips through the cracks because his glow becomes too faint to cast shadows. And instead of running away to hide, he decides to learn what he truly wants. He travels through villages, lighting lamps for strangers but never staying long enough to be owned again. He discovers new magic, the kind created from choices, not commands. And finally, he reaches this old tree in the middle of nowhere, only to find out about the war that is going on in the kingdom between the Shadowborne... creatures born from darkness and the human mages who once enslaved the Lightlings."

Radha's tone dipped, almost reverent. "Rather than turning away, he goes to the same place he ran from and helps the frightened villagers trapped between both armies, guiding them through the night with the little glow he has left, protecting them even when neither side claims him anymore."

Her voice lowering an octave, "So Filby chooses. He becomes a guardian, not bound by spells or commands, but by his own will. He decides his purpose is to guide lost people back to themselves. Even if they don't see him, even if they never know he's there... he shines anyway."

Abhi was impressed. "This sounds good actually. A creature born out of someone else's light, finally learning how to burn for himself."

Radha grinned widely. "It's the epilogue that's left. Read it like the narrator of a prophecy."

Abhi sighed dramatically and tapped on the index of the e-book, jumping to the epilogue.

"Night had finally fallen upon Eldervale for the first time without fear." Abhi's tone was clam and relaxed, "The war was over, and peace rested over the kingdom like a soft blanket of dusk.

Filby stood at the edge of the cliff, his tiny lantern heart glowing like a trembling star. Behind him lay a land rebuilt not by ancient spells or binding oaths, but by kindness, the one magic he had discovered on his own.

Once, he had been nothing more than a small, quivering creature hiding inside broom closets, afraid of footsteps and shadows. A being who had believed that pain was the price of loyalty and servitude the only purpose he was ever born for.

But today... felt different. Even the wind seemed to bow to him, brushing past his cheeks with a reverence he once thought unimaginable.

Footsteps approached from behind. Arion stopped a few feet away, the torchlight on his face gentle and unsure.

Not the master he had once been to whom Filby ran to for help. Not the enemy he had once become in greed.

But someone who was learning how to deserve the loyalty he had once taken by force. A friend still figuring out how to be worthy of forgiveness even after being forgiven.

"Filby," Arion whispered, his voice carrying the trembling respect of a man who had once commanded but now only requested. "The council has gathered. They've decided that you will be the one to light the Eternal Beacon again."

Filby turned to him, startled. "Me? But... why me? There are stronger Lightings, older than me, wiser than me... even brighter than me."

Arion shook his head slowly. "They might be older, wiser, and brighter, but the one who lived brighter, who survived every storm with resilience, is the one who is worthy."

He stepped closer. "There is a difference between them and you, Filby. They were born with their brilliance. You kept shining even when others tried to dim you. That is a light the Beacon needs."

Filby paused for a heartbeat, the words sinking deep, warming parts of him that had never known warmth before. His glow steadied, then strengthened.

Gathering every shard of courage left inside him, he took a step forward toward the Eternal Beacon towered before him, a massive pillar of ancient stone carved with symbols of wars long past. It had once glowed day and night, a living heart that protected Eldervalee.

But it had died the day Filby was taken to prison. It had died until the day he chose freedom. Now, it waited.

Filby reached out with trembling hand and touched the cold stone, and the world seemed to hold its breath. The Beacon erupted in golden light brighter than any dawn Eldervale had ever seen in centuries.

The kingdom cheered. The skies lit up with warmth. Somewhere far away, flowers bloomed for the first time since the war.

Arion swallowed hard. "You're free now," he whispered. "You can go anywhere. You don't owe anyone anything."

Filby smiled, the glow from his lantern heart soft but steady. "Freedom was never the gift."

Arion frowned. "Then what was?"

Filby placed his small palm on Arion's hand. "The chance to choose who I want to be. Not what the world wants... but what I believe I am."

And as the Beacon continued to shine, Filby walked forward into the rising sun, not a servant, not a survivor, but the light no darkness could ever break.

Silence fell in the room as Abhi closed the tab, keeping it aside.

Radha blinked away the tears that fogged her eyes and looked at her brother. "So beautiful, right?"

Abhi smiled softly. "I liked the core message about fighting back. Filby didn't heal because he was soft or hopeful... he healed because he stood up. Because he chose courage over fear. Nice novel!"

Radha frowned. "No. It's about acceptance, Abhi. He didn't fight the Beacon. He simply chose himself. Duniya ko prove karne ke liye woh nahi jeeya;(Not to prove the world) he lived for his own truth."

Abhi shook his head stubbornly. "That's too passive! He literally lit up a whole kingdom. That's not acceptance;,that's defiance. It's strength."

"And strength isn't always loud, Abhi," Radha retorted. "Sometimes strength is choosing not to break even when you feel small."

"Or choosing to stop being small even when the world forces you into it," Abhi shot back.

Radha's eyes flashed. "That's YOUR way of seeing it. The story says Filby didn't want to be a hero! He just wanted peace."

"And peace comes after you survive the war inside and outside, which he did because he fought," Abhi countered.

Radha stiffened at the blunt certainty in his voice. She understood what he said; a better part of her heart even agreed to it, but still, it was hard to accept.

How can you call it fighting when every day feels like survival? How can you call it strength when all your life you've only been taught to stay quiet and endure?

It went against everything her parents had taught her, right? That peace came from staying small. That love came from obedience. That silence was safer than truth. So how was she supposed to believe in a courage she was never allowed to have?

"Can I say something?" A voice snapped them out of their thoughts.

Radha and Abhi turned toward the door. Shreya stood there, hands folded, eyes soft. From the looks of it, she had heard everything.

"Andar aaye na, Di, (Come inside, Di.)" Abhi said, rising to his feet.

Shreya stepped inside. She had only been passing by when she heard Radha narrating the story. She was so unexpectedly pulled in that she stopped mid-step and listened even to the small points of view they both shared.

"You read quite dramatically," Shreya teased lightly.

Abhi rolled his eyes. "I'm not interested in such things. Isne kha tha isliye I read, warna yeh bhaiya ke saamne bacchon ki tarah complaint karti. (She asked me so I read, otherwise she would have complained to bhaiya like a kid.)"

Shreya looked at Radha, waiting for a comeback. But Radha sat quietly, lost in thoughts, unmoved by the teasing.

"The ending was amazing," Shreya said softly.

Radha snapped her gaze toward her. Her mind was still spiraling, still stuck somewhere between fear and acceptance.

Shreya sat at the edge of the bed, glancing at both siblings as she spoke gently. "Maybe you two are saying the same thing... bas alag tareeke se. Some people survive by becoming warriors, Abhi."

She glanced at Radha. "And some survive by becoming saviors, Radha. Filby was both. He fought when he had to, and he healed when he needed to. Strength doesn't have just one form. Kisi ke liye talwar uthana himmat hoti hai... aur kisi ke liye khud ko sambhalne ke liye bhi himmat lagti hai. (For some people, picking up a sword is courage... and for others, simply holding themselves together also takes courage.)"

She looked between them, her voice steady and warm. "Warrior or survivor, don't forget both kinds of strength can save a kingdom..." She held Radha's gaze, "and a person. All you have to do is try."

Radha's breath hitched at the implication. Try. The three-letter word sounded so simple, yet applying it in real life was the hardest. A life that was unpredictable, a life that could crumble without warning, in such a life, trying wasn't a mountain to climb. In the end, you don't have anything to stake except yourself. It shouldn't have been a big deal.

Still, Radha found it impossibly hard to try. A month back, she had cried in her brother's arms when she lost her parents, despite her father drilling into her that only weak people cried. She broke that rule and did what her heart needed, and eventually, it didn't destroy her the way she feared. It didn't make her weak. It just made her human. And maybe... that was the first time she truly understood what trying meant.

Then slowly, within a month, when she should have mourned her parents, she found that she didn't really remember them much, nor did she miss them the way a child should miss their parents after their death. She wasn't craving the love she never received; she was only afraid of breaking their rules... of disappointing them even when they were no longer here to punish her.

And even when she started smiling a little more, looking out for herself, like reading her favorite novels a bit more than studying, even when she was composed, she still slipped around her brothers, here and there, teasing them, having her favorite meals, without meaning to... she was trying to learn how to exist without fear, one tiny breath at a time.

In the end, trying didn't hurt her much. So can she take the first step towards her bhaiya this time? Towards the man who always guided her through the chaos of her crumbled mind, who always held her, comforted her, even when it meant going against the elders of the family?

Can she try to give her bhaiya a chance? Give herself a chance?

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